Am I a Snob?

I've been collecting fragrances, with various degrees of passion, for about 30 years. I love everything about this hobby. The design of the bottles, the anticipation of spraying a new scent, the &quot;hunt&quot; for a rare/discontinued scent, the excitement of finding something really special...decanting and trading...the whole experience.

I was at a local Macy's the other day and of course wandered by the &quot;men's fragrance dept&quot; and I was struck by how completely drekky the current scents are. I'd rather buy a 1/4 bottle of Jules than anything currently &quot;popular.&quot; When I asked the SA if there was another fragrance store in the mall, she replied &quot;Why would you want to go anywhere else?&quot; I held my tongue, though a million smartass replies came to mind...then she says, &quot;Oh, I think there's a perfume store down there, but they sell only OLD stuff!'

I could barely contain my happiness as I walked in to this place (where I found 3 bottles of Havana, by the way, and sold them to B'noters at cost for 39 BUCKS...by the way, to those who still want it, I'm still searching for more)...along with every scent in the world except the &quot;modern&quot; drek.

Then, I realized...I have over 230 bottles (including decants) in my wardrobe, and I don't own a SINGLE BOTTLE of ANYTHING made by:

and probably at least 5 or 6 more current, &quot;popular&quot; houses.

NOT because I necessarily mind wearing something current, or popular...I just don't like em!

I am not a niche snob, either. The vast majority of scents I own are designer. But they do have one thing in common--they are all older scents that the mall department stores, if they ever carried them to start with, have all long ago left behind.

I DO own some &quot;modern&quot; scents too that I think are quite good, or at least good enough to own. Two that come to mind are Burberry Brit and L'Instant, though the latter is far from the glory days of Guerlain's classic frags. But then, when I read a lot of good buzz about current scents like Very Sexy I and II and Fierce, I try them and just find them watered down crappola, or just very common.

I think, for me, it may be a matter of age. Despite many postings concerning the fact that &quot;wear what you like,&quot; no scents are &quot;old&quot; or &quot;young,&quot; etc., I DO believe that younger guys prefer &quot;fresh&quot; and older guys prefer formal. Not always, of course, and there are plenty of exceptions, but that's my thought.

I hate &quot;fresh.&quot; I hate &quot;aquatic.&quot; My tastes are pretty broad and I DO like a number of different types of scents--florals, leather, musk, tobacco, etc., etc., and I think my wardrobe proves that I like and wear a lot of different types of scents, but if I had to choose one category that I am partial to, it would be formal, heavier scents like MdM, Patou, etc., so I guess that's why so many of today's scents leave me cold.

Am I alone? Are there any scents from the houses I mentioned that are actually worth trying out? I mean, I HAVE smelled them, but they all just seem to leave me cold!

And that's where I am! Don't know exactly what bought this on, except coming to the realization that I don't own ANYTHING that's &quot;popular!&quot; lol! And I'm OK with it! I've accepted the fact that I'm an old fart and I'll reclaim my youth with my new 400hp screaming yellow GTO rather than a bottle of Eternity!

Re: Am I a Snob?

I'm not sure if you are aware of this, you no doubt are as there are other U.K basenoters aplenty, but here the burberry label is synonymous with the lowest classes and so called chav' culture. Just a quick google bring sup plenty of forum quotes suchas this: Burberry has NEVER been nice. Once the domain of the fox hunter/Barber jacket types, now the face of the suburban flicknife brigade.
Burberry = chav = no brain, no job, no life, no prospect, no hope.

Never the less I own Burberry Weekend, and Brit, and despite being ridiculed for it more than once, I care very little and am very keen to try Touch which I've heard is really rather good. I guess what I'm trying to say is social prejudce snobbery etc is someone elses affair, I wear what I like and to hell with the brands. So I don't think unless it's a conscious decision youve made purely because of the band name you have anything to worry about. As if to prove the point I'm currently wearing Cellini by Faberge...and it's wonderful stuff I must say!

Re: Am I a Snob?

I don't think it makes you a snob for not having certain brands in your collection. It just means you have discerning tastes. I have a wide variety, but in terms of what I wear most often and enjoy the most, I lean towards the niche side. I can't even say that I dislike the new Polo, Polo Black. I simply see scents in terms of ones I would prefer to spend my money on and those I do not.

But I do have to agree with the current mass of new releases are yawn inducing. I think there's just too many coming too close together, as is the case with Hugo Boss. I was at Dillards and caught the display for Polo Black and a gentleman came up behind me spritzing away Boss Soul. Mind you, it took me a few moments to put the pieces together: he was European (I'm guessing German), older (white hair), dressed nicely, and first spritzed Boss Soul then Del Mar. He could have been a relative for the guy in the original Balderassini ads. Nonetheless, he didn't work there--he was just trying to drum up business but there was just nothing at the counter that struck me as all that appealing.

Earlier this year I thought perhaps Herrera's Aqua was one of the better new releases. I'm beginning to feel like it's December and there aren't any worthy Oscar contenders released yet as I can't think of anything that has been released this year that has just been something that astounding.

Re: Am I a Snob?

If you're a snob than I'm a plebe, so I doubt any fragrance advice I give you would be useful at all. As far as CK goes, I will say that I do like CK One (of course I doubt you do) and I love love love Contradiction for women. Have never smelled contradiction for men. I also uhhh . .. may love CK Crave . . . but that's sort of a guilty pleasure. Judging by what you said I doubt you will like any of these, although Contradiction, although very &quot;modern&quot; smelling, is also incredibly heady. So, I assume the male version is the same. As I said before, I am a plebe, and proud of it, so . . .

Re: Am I a Snob?

For what it's worth, Ballard, I am right with you.
I own nowhere near the number of bottles you do, but have developed similar tastes. I too have thought a lot about this divergence between the older, formal scents, and the fresher scents popular today.
I do not blame my preferences on snobbery - I still wear Old Spice around sometimes. And there are some designer frags in my collection that I would never be without. But in general, I would rather eat glass than smell most of the stuff at the Nordstrom's counter. Maybe it is a generational thing.

Take Bvlgari, for example. I really like BluNotte and Black, but can't stand most of the rest. My brother-in law (early twenties) and I were out the other day and he mentioned that he loves Bvlgari Aqua, and can't stand their &quot;darker&quot; fragrances. A sample of one, I know. Quite unreliable, but representative of the general trend. (He still thinks I'm cool though due to my large collection of 70's and 80's punk records).

In the end, I think people just develop different noses, and prefer certain branches of the fragrance tree. Like we all get used to the music and foods that we are culturally accustomed to. Many cultures find our pallates bland, while we find theirs too spicy, rich, light, or whatever. Kids raised on A&amp;F Fierce are not likely to immediately appreciate Ungaro III. Or something. No disrespect to those well cultured 17 year olds lurking here...

So, I used to get impatient or judgemental when some young whippersnapper would disrespect my precious Patou Pour Homme (Smells like old man!!). Now, rightly or wrongly, I usually just chalk it up to this generational thing.

Anyway, Thanks for your well considered thoughts on the matter. It's a tricky, twisty subject that I do not pretend to fully understand.
Slim

Re: Am I a Snob?

OK, it`s not a snobbery.
When mainstream fashion mediocrity goes aquatic and fresh - and millions of people buys and wears that, there`re always men who don`t like to be the same as others.

But reasons are different.
Some of us wants to be unique.
Some of us regrets about masculine perfumes era of 70-80 years XX century gone by.
Anyway - mainstream (or luxury, whatever) masculine frags loose their masculinity, didn`t they? It`s a disaster...

I never would buy Boss scents. They made for mass money, not for perfume art or any Great Idea.
Versace and Hillfiger - maybe, maybe. But still not found something to keep in collection...

And I second
Kalvin by CK
DK Fuel or Unleaded
RL Safari
and Zegna Original
They are just excellent examples of style!
For Versace I`d better buy L`Homme de Versace.

Re: Am I a Snob?

To me, you might as well buy Michael Kors for men before Safari. I agree, though, on the sentiment that perhaps we like fragrances based off of our upbringing. My dad wore Old Spice religiously (but never heavily, oddly enough) so I actually prefer spicy and heavier (formal and older, or &quot;disgusting&quot; as my friends say) fragrances even though I'm only 19. Why live life half way, I say. I've never found the fresh fragrances to be bad per se, I find many mainstream aquatics to be appealing, but I can't bring myself to buy them.

Does it make you a snob? Sure. But wouldn't you rather be a snob then be the same?

The pursuit of philosophy is the hope that there is more to life than we realize. By philosophy, however, we come to realize that in fact there is less to life than previously imagined.

Re: Am I a Snob?

Snob:

1. One who tends to patronize, rebuff, or ignore people regarded as social inferiors and imitate, admire, or seek association with people regarded as social superiors.
2. One who affects an offensive air of self-satisfied superiority in matters of taste or intellect.

I don't think most members of the board who profess to different tastes are snobs, since most of our discussions are respectful and cordial. In my latest hobby of wine, I've found many people think of it as being a snobbish world. My experiences have found both sides of the spectrum in wine tastings and shows I've been too, though most people aren't snobbish. I'm sure they are out there, we just don't cross social paths.

As for the houses you listed, I'm sure you've smelled most, but still I feel compelled to list my favorites from each of those where I do have one.

Re: Am I a Snob?

I'm actually the opposite. I really dislike a lot of niche fragrances because for the price I expect so much more. There were many times when I tested them and just didn't understand what the hype was about. Sure I love the Millesime range from Creed but I personally feel that there are less prestigious scents out there that are better. To this day I still don't like any CDG scents. Most of my wardrobe consists of designer scents, some of which I would have gladly paid niche prices for because I enjoy them so much. Is there such thing as a fragrance snob? I honestly don't think so. We buy what we like and our tastes are subjective. I doubt any of us here are snobs because since I've joined Basenotes, all of my personal preferences on scents have been respected even though others disliked my favorites. A snob would ridicule me for liking scents such as Joop! or A*men. But not here.

Re: Am I a Snob?

No, you're not a snob, you're just bored with the current scents, *which you graciously describe as 'Fresh'--if anything, you're too kind. How about *bland, sweetly cloying, or acquatic tea &amp; kelp *mondo bizarro?

I don't care for Farenheit but then again I don' t care for *Pascal Morabito's OR Black, it's just that when I go to a mall, *I'm much more likely to be bombarded with F and co. than OR and co. It gets a little tiresome.

Re: Am I a Snob?

Great thread and one I can relate to. *I was wondering the other day what it was that reawakened my own interest in perfume. *I never abandoned it but on the other hand until I joined basenotes it was not quite so high on my agenda as it had been say 20 years ago.

I think there is a degree of nostalgia about it. *Not just trying to recapture my long lost youth but a sense that if a fragrance has been around perhaps 70 years (Caron Pour un Homme for example) you can somehow recapture a little of that era through the fragrance. *You can perhaps imagine the Prince of Wales wearing the same scent as he cut a dash in navy chalk stripe and Brown shoes! *You can be James Bond for a moment as you apply your Trumpers Eucris.

I suspect if we are very discriminating in our choice of scent then we are in most things....Is that snobbish? *Perhaps just a little [smiley=smiley.gif]

Re: Am I a Snob?

No....you are not a snob at all. But I will say that I do believe that you are missing out on some very nice fragrances. I do agree that the general public has no clue when it comes to fragrance. I agree that many of the new scents are blah. But there are also some very nice scents at the mall stores be it few.
You must remember....we live in a over sensitive society. I sprayed Gio the other day and a women said to her husband &quot;That's too strong&quot;. If Gio for Men is &quot;Too Strong&quot;? What would be their response to Gentlemen, or Heritage?
I can only imagine what the reply would be to SMN&quot;s. MPG's, or LV's.
On the other side of the coin...I went in to our Brand New Sephora yesterday and I noticed that the Cartier Fragrances on the Men's side are cleaned out. Just a few bottles left. The public is hard to figure out.
The problem with the market now is that the market is Dollars driven, Not fragrance driven. It's all about the money. Too bad!!!!
Gary

Re: Am I a Snob?

It depends on how you define snob.

If a snob is someone who not only is overly selective, but also snubs others for their more ordinary tastes, then no, you are not a snob.

If, by a more general definition, a snob is someone who is overly picky and selective, who is more discerning than strictly necessary, then sure, why not? By this definition, I am a snob and proud of it!

Actually, I think that the difference between these two definitions is the difference between a snob and an elitist. Elitist just sounds so much better, don't you think? Elitists unite!

Re: Am I a Snob?

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Others which I'm not absolutely crazy about, but which do get compliments from frenzied females are The Pina Colada (Marc Jacobs) and The Fig Newton (John Varvatos)

ahaha...that's funny!

I forgot Varvatos when I mentioned the mall scents I had purchased--L'Instant and Brit. Varvatos is pretty decent and my co-workers rank it very highly. Which isn't always the case. lol.

You know, I started this thread halfway expecting to be bashed a little. Not so much for being a snob, but for preferring &quot;old man&quot; scents over the new, fresher, zestier ones at the Mall! But after reading the responses I'm glad to see I'm not alone.

Re: Am I a Snob?

Originally Posted by Trasker

[quote author=Ricardo link=1126063723/0#2 date=1126064587]Burberry has NEVER been nice. Once the domain of the fox hunter/Barber jacket types, now the face of the suburban flicknife brigade.
Burberry = chav = no brain, no job, no life, no prospect, no hope.

Wow. You might not like the scent but the brand is hardly low life. *No life no job no prospect types aren't shelling out a $1K on a blazer or $650 on a cashmere sweater. * [/quote]

My freind you misread it. I love the Burberry fragrances. Those quotes are not from me but from U.K Internet boards, and display the very low image Burberry has in U.K. Sorry whilst it was once a great brand, here it DOES now in the popular mind at least, equal low life. It's become synonymous with the very lowest section of society, hooligans, teenage delinquents and the urban underclass. How do they afford it? Who knows, perhaps they buy cheap knock offs or they simply steal it. But that's the image it has either way. I have been criticised for wearing Burberry scents because of it's negative image 9which to me IS snobbery!) and certainly many clubs and nightclubs here would not allow anyone wearing burberry to enter. Sad but true.

Re: Am I a Snob?

Originally Posted by Ricardo

[quote author=Trasker link=1126063723/15#24 date=1126116355][quote author=Ricardo link=1126063723/0#2 date=1126064587]Burberry has NEVER been nice. Once the domain of the fox hunter/Barber jacket types, now the face of the suburban flicknife brigade.
Burberry = chav = no brain, no job, no life, no prospect, no hope.

Wow. You might not like the scent but the brand is hardly low life. *No life no job no prospect types aren't shelling out a $1K on a blazer or $650 on a cashmere sweater. * [/quote]

My freind you misread it. I love the Burberry fragrances. Those quotes are not from me but from U.K Internet boards, and display the very low image Burberry has in U.K. Sorry whilst it was once a great brand, *here it DOES now in the popular mind at least, equal low life. It's become synonymous with the very lowest section of society, hooligans, teenage delinquents and the urban underclass. How do they afford it? *Who knows, perhaps they buy cheap knock offs or they simply steal it. But that's the image it has either way. I have been criticised for wearing Burberry scents because of it's negative image 9which to me IS snobbery!) and certainly many clubs and nightclubs here would not allow anyone wearing burberry to enter. Sad but true.[/quote]

To give an example, a few years ago, pubs and bars would display signs on the door saying 'No Football Colours', to try and keep undesirables out. This has recently been added to with 'No BUrberry'.